


Chimerical

by aykayem



Series: Fifty-two words [13]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Introspection, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-17
Updated: 2014-04-17
Packaged: 2018-01-19 19:19:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1481050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aykayem/pseuds/aykayem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco finds himself debating something highly irregular.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chimerical

  
_chimerical_  
(adj.) created by unchecked imagination; fantastically visionary or highly improbable

Everyone had their little fantasies: it was practically human nature to be presented with one thing and imagine the myriad possibilities that stemmed off from it. Draco did it for virtually everything, and quite shamelessly too. He had always imagined vast possibilities for himself, whether it was when he was little, pretending to be the next great Seeker for England (or whatever the good team of the season was; he just wanted his name to be cheered loudly as he flew on by), or when he got older, imagining himself in the papers, his face surrounded by cheery, eager headlines of _MALFOY HEIR, GREATEST WIZARD YET!_ or something perhaps a bit less vague. He wasn't picky. The point was merely that he had always dreamt of success, and furthermore, of people _knowing_ about that success. Unsurprisingly, the two had to be connected. It wouldn't be enough to just be successful, and it wouldn't be enough to just have his name known to everyone he met.

After all, he had the latter, and it wasn't that fulfilling.

But somehow, even more unsurprisingly, he had no idea _how_ he wanted that success to come about. When he was younger, it was obvious, but once he graduated from a toy broom to a proper one, it became a little bit more obvious that he would never be that star of the pitch that he'd always hope he'd be. He was fast, but not quite fast enough; he was nimble, but not nimble enough. There was always someone who could beat him. Never mind that he'd fared brilliantly against the various Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Seekers. As long as Harry Potter had headed up Gryffindor, there was no point; it was a lost cause, and he was reduced down to second best yet again, his team berating him for not playing hard enough, or not training enough, or not focusing enough. It always became about his rivalry with Potter, and never about his skills. It was always 'you're not good enough' and never 'this is how you can get better'.

Suffice to say, Draco didn't have a whole lot of self-esteem at this time in his life. It was still astounding to him that, after the War, anyone would like him. Or deal with him. Or, hell, acknowledge him in any way now that they didn't have to. Astoria didn't have to hang out with him as often as she had been lately, and neither did Theo. Neither of them were being forced to stick around, or to offer their company (and more, as in Theo's case). Yet both made themselves fairly obvious in the sense that Draco knew full well meant they were open to anything he might need them for.

In Theo's case, it made sense. In Astoria's, though- Well, she was proving to be quite the surprise. A pleasant one, at that. He wasn't entirely certain what to make of it, actually. Tori was not only good company, but a good ear, and despite them both disliking the notion of being set up by their parents, it was almost easy to pretend that they were going out for lunch dates of their own volition.

So it was well within the realm of possibility for him to start letting his imagination run wild as he pondered over exactly where all this might go, and how things might pan out. It happened at random times, like when he was making tea, or when he was brushing his teeth; it was times like those that made him drift away into some random thought, like what life would be like if he just turned his head to the side and caught a glimpse of Theo or Tori draped across his bed, tossing in unrelated remarks about whatever they felt like. Or hell, both of them at once.

That would be something.

It wasn't like he often imagined himself to be in relationships with multiple people. Relationships with one person were hard enough without having to worry about a third person in the equation. But still, it would be something. He wouldn't have to give either of them up, he wouldn't have to choose. He could just wrap himself up in the affection that Theo already had, and the interest that Tori seemed to be nurturing carefully and quietly. None of the three seemed terribly interested in baring their souls to the others, after all.

Astoria was wary and hesitant, perhaps largely about getting into a relationship with someone two years her senior who bore a Dark Mark on their arm. Theo wasn't willing to admit anything that might compromise him, whether now or in the future. And Draco just preferred to shut himself away from as many people as he could to prevent himself from getting more hurt than he already had.

Perhaps they were all made for each other, in some regard.

That would _definitely_ be something.


End file.
